Aviantei
By: Aviantei
Part Twenty-Six: Commencement
Riding atop the Spirit of Fire, Ivy grudgingly admitted to herself that Issebella taking them out shopping before the next round of the Shaman Fight hadn't been such an awful idea. While it was hard to say she was cold, since, given the vast amount of heat that radiated off the Spirit of Fire's body, even riding at high altitudes was downright temperate. But the air still whipped by as they kept pace with the Patch's Over Soul helicopters, accompanied by the occasional sprit of chill from the ocean below. Short sleeves wouldn't have done her much good.
"Oh, oh, is that the Island of Tokyo? It totally is! Look, look, Kaede-chan!"
"Issebella-san, please stop shaking me."
Issebella's enthusiastic shout was enough to catch everyone's attention, even the rest of Hao's followers. While they weren't as boisterous about the whole thing as she was, an interested chatter built up among the group. Though they had the power of foresight about what the next round of the tournament would be like thanks to Hao's knowledge, it was different seeing the location first hand, even if it was just a vague shape in the distance.
Ivy raised her head a bit but didn't get too mixed up in the hubbub. The few features that should make out of Tokyo were enough with how the elements there were stirring at the approach of new people. Forests clustered many areas, surrounding the earth and metal mountains, everything resting in the cradle of saltwater. Though Mya had retreated to her memorial tablet for the trip, Ivy could feel her contentedness at being so close to the ocean.
That much water could become a powerful weapon in their hands. Even if the Shaman Fight would take place in the Patch's arena, those weren't going to be the only battles that would take place there.
More so than ever, every shaman that has come so far is going to be our enemy. Including Ha-Gumi's numbers and Hao himself, there were fifteen of them against the other fifty-four competitors. Depending on how things went and subtracting Yoh-dono from the number, that would could turn into fifty-three corpses before things were said and done. If they each split up and took out a whole enemy team by themselves, things would be over before anyone knew it.
But it's not worth it to exert ourselves so much. Some of them are weaklings, but there are a few potential challengers involved. We follow the tournament rules until Hao-dono says otherwise. Contemplating strategy, Ivy clenched her fists. With how many teams there are, I'll only get a few tournament fights. Beating Ander there would be easiest, because there's no outside interference, so I can hope he will be one of my rounds. But if I had to pick anyone else, I'd like to fight Ren-chan's team for a rematch—
"Ooh, Principessa's making that face again. You thinking about fighting Ren-chan again?" Without a single shred of self-preservation, she poked at Ivy's cheek. The Chinese girl slapped the offending finger away, and the only reason that she didn't break it was because she didn't want to deal with the hassle of healing it. "That's a yes! Principessa doesn't get worked up about much out."
Keeping a much safer distance from the commotion, Kaede nodded. "I hope you get the match that you want."
Ivy exhaled, tossing some hair over her shoulder so it would stop blowing in her face. "Ren-chan isn't the most important enemy we need to worry about." In the grand scheme of things, Ander wasn't the most important, either, but Hao had promised back then. One way or another, Ivy would get her revenge, and then she could finish repaying her debt to Hao for his help. "No matter who we're up against in this tournament, losing isn't an option. I hope you two understand that."
Issebella grinned. "If the Principessa says so—"
The corners of Kaede's lips twitched up the slightest amount. "—then we'll follow through."
"Ah, ah, I saw that! Hyaku egao—!"
How ridiculous, Ivy thought, leaving the two to their nonsense and turning her gaze back forward, the Island of Tokyo drawing ever closer. But if that's what it takes for them to be successful…
She supposed she didn't mind it much.
Just like they had in the Patch Village, Hao opted to stay away from the main lodgings for most of the competitors, both because he enjoyed his solitary areas and because sitting in the middle of their enemies would be inviting more trouble than it was worth. Then again, he had also rode in on the Spirit of Fire and no one had dared chance an attack the whole way there, even if they kept pace with the Patch's helicopters, which spoke enough as a testament to his reputation, so maybe it was a moot point.
Well, there was a nice hot spring he'd picked out for their campground anyways. Perhaps the rest was splitting hairs.
As per usual, his followers settled into their routine of setting up like clockwork, the individual cliques coming together as they always had over the years. Considering that if he tried to get involved with the process he'd be met with various protests that there was no need to bring himself to such a level (Matilda in particular tended to vocalize her displeasure in those situations), Hao decided to trust the rest to their tasks and go check on the tournament brackets, since they'd be posting soon.
For a brief moment, he considered inviting Aviantei, but she seemed to be in the middle of scolding Issebella about something or the other, so he decided to let her be. While he appreciated her cold and calculating mentality when things needed to get done, it was also amusing to watch her become so frustrated over the smallest things. Chuckling to himself as their bickering increased, Hao called out to one of his other followers instead. "Opacho, I'm heading out. Would you like to come along?"
Opacho was at his side in a blur. "Hao-dono go for a walk?" she asked, looking up to him with wide eyes.
"Yes, and I'll be checking on the tournament rankings, so we'll be out for a while." That didn't deter Opacho in the slightest, and she trotted along beside him as they stepped away from the hubbub of assembling tents and setting up the campfires. Given their isolated location on the island, it didn't take long for those sounds to become swallowed up in nature, and then their surroundings fully turned to trees and grass as they proceeded around the edge of the hills.
Hao enjoyed the silence while he could, with only the occasional flicker of the elements' voices slipping into his awareness, and Opacho trotted next to him, wholly content. After some time, though, the Patch's latest construction project came into view, and the voices of many shamans chattering became louder. There was still a lot of hubbub from people discovering their lodgings, but much of the commotion was coming from the area where the tournament results had been posted.
Not wanting to deal with the potential commotion of those who would recognize them, Hao and Opacho stopped before they entered the area, sticking to the line of trees nearby. Besides, that was close enough to get the information he wanted.
The Spirit of Fire may have been his primary spirit ally, but smaller spirits easily served as shikigami, and that was more than enough to learn the names of his followers' teams as well as their opponents once the small spirits reported back.
It seems I'll get an opportunity to take down some of the X-Laws' number first.
Ah, and that Tao boy that Aviantei is interested in will face Bōz and Tecolote. Should be interesting.
The others don't seem to be fighting anyone of significance, so that will leave them fresh for other matters.
And Aviantei's opponents, then—
"Well then."
At the first spoken word from Hao since they'd left the camp, Opacho tilted her head. "Hao-dono?"
The team name against Ha-Gumi had been Huŏ Jìsī, written in Chinese script. To anyone else, it may have seemed inauspicious, especially among the other names the contestants had come up with to represent their triads. For factions like the X-Laws, Gandara, and Hao's own, the matching names they held were a symbol of solidarity, but there was no other title to match that of Aviantei's upcoming opponents.
Unless one translated.
Unless one understood not only the Elemental Language, but also the name of the person whom the team's designation matched with.
Huarthian, Hao considered, wanting to laugh at the implications of such a name. You've made your declaration of war, shown yourself to the hunter who has been seeking you. Are you ready to become the prey?
"Don't worry, Opacho." Smiling more to himself than anything, Hao dismissed his shikigami and looked back down to Opacho. "I was just thinking that every now and then, the Great Spirit decides to do something worthwhile after all."
Within the very first round of matches, Aviantei would stand across the arena from Ander.
It was the first match of the next round of the Shaman Fight, and Ivy couldn't decide how to feel.
On one hand, she would be facing Ander within a manner of days, though it wouldn't be until the last slot of the first round. She had no doubt based on his team name that her opponent would be Ander, which was good, but her levels of agitation had risen because it was something so very close but also so very far off. After so many years of training for her vengeance, having to wait any longer felt like a cruel joke—and consequently, her mood sour.
On the other hand, Ren's team was part of the very first battle, about to start shortly. It would be the first time since Mesa Verdede that she had seen him, and she was eager to see how his skills had advanced since their first battle over a year ago. The mix of excitement over the battle to come and the impatience that it wasn't her on the battlefield created a discordant jumble within her emotional state.
"Hey, Principessa, Horohoro's on Ren-chan's team, right?" Issebella asked, seated beside her. Kaede flanked Ivy's other side, and they were in the same row as Hao, Opacho, and Luchist, with the others of their group seated in the rows behind. The rest of the stadium was almost packed to its brim with competitors and visitors alike, and Ivy forced her eyes to stay locked on the platform below, rather than searching for signs of Ander. Her words half laughs, Issebella propped her chin in her hands and leaned forward. "Do you think that he'll get the chance to fight today? I haven't gotten the chance to see him battle yet, but he's gotta be stronger than Bōz, right?"
It wasn't the most encouraging thing to say about their fellow comrades—but Ivy had to agree that, out of the rest of Hao's followers, the musician duo was at the bottom tier, especially after the loss of Boris and Yamada back in Mesa Verdede. The fact that no one else within their group protested all but proved those words. "While I don't have the faintest clue how strong that boy is, I doubt Ren-chan would let anyone on his team be so weak." Just like Ivy, Ren held a certain standard when it came to those around him—if not in personality, then at least in battle prowess. "With that in mind, the other one should be decent enough as well. The real test will be how they handle Tecolote."
You said you would show me what happens when I underestimate what you're capable of, Ren-chan. If you're going to do that, then you can't lose against Tecolote, either.
It wasn't too much longer before one of the Patch officiants—Radim—made it to the center of the stadium and began to explain the rules of the next round: a series of three-on-three battles where the goal was to incapacitate the other team, either by exhausting their mana so that they couldn't form an Over Soul any more or by knocking them out of bounds of the totem poles around the battlefield. Forfeits were allowed, and there was no time limit. Essentially, it operated like the preliminary rounds, but as team matches in much shorter succession.
With that out of the way, Radim worked on introducing the next teams: Ren's own, as well as Tsuchi-Gumi as their opponents. Ivy didn't listen much, seeing as she already knew who all the contenders were. She stared down Ren, trying to get a handle on his abilities from a distance, but he'd done a good job at keeping his mana contained so that any opponents wouldn't be able to gauge his strength so quickly.
While Ivy was content to watch and wait, Issebella launched herself up to the edge of the banister before them, cupping her hands around her mouth. "Kick some ass, Horohoro!" she shouted in Italian.
Ivy grimaced. "It's not like he can understand you when you don't speak English."
Issebella beamed over her shoulder. "Yeah, but then he'll know it's me that cheered for him!"
"Traitor," Marie whispered from behind them.
"Now, now, don't be like that," Hao said, not once looking at his collected followers. "I think a little healthy competition is fun. Besides, I never expected Bōz to make it far in this competition anyways." He chuckled, the sound alone enough to calm everyone down, even as the battle began—with Ren delegating Joco into the position of taking on their foes.
While her expression stayed mostly neutral, Ivy didn't miss Kaede sitting up a bit straighter to get a better view. "He fights somewhat like me," Kaede said. "I could feel it the last time around him."
That piqued Ivy's interest a bit, considering that Kaede didn't have the most conventional type of Over Soul out there. Ren had managed to gather an interesting team, then. Sure enough, Kaede's assessment had been correct, since Joco had integrated his jaguar spirit and used it to quickly take care of Bōz. Impressive, in a two on one, yes, but it didn't do much to combat Tecolote's higher level of skill.
Still, points to the kid for not giving up even when he's burned through a decent chunk of his mana.
And then Ivy took back her opinion as Joco unleashed his next move.
"C'mon, Mic! Over Soul! Ayer's Rock!"
Dead silence fell over the arena as everyone took a moment to process the nondescript chunk of Over Soul mass that had risen. It didn't seem to serve any offensive or defensive capabilities that Ivy could sense. Kaede's usually impassive lips turned down into a frown. "What's the point of performing a joke that the crowd can't even see?" Ivy didn't bother to ask; so long as Kaede could keep focused on the Shaman Fight at hand, it didn't matter what caught her interest.
Not when Joco's Over Soul collapsed and Ren's mana spiked as he entered the battle.
Ivy had hoped for something impressive, especially after he'd had time to train his power further. Blasting away Tecolote with a single strike, taking him out of bounds and putting an end to the match. True, the man had been weakened thanks to Joco clearing out the calavera dolls, but it was such a swift show of power that there wasn't enough time to get a full grasp on his abilities, and yet—
"Five-thousand-seven-hundred-and-twenty-one," Hao said, reading the value of his Oracle Pager before tugging his glove back on. Even Ivy couldn't help but feel impressed by the over five times increas of Ren's mana value, especially for the short amount of time that had passed. "Two months ago, he looked into the heart of the Great Spirit. When one's worldview is shattered by so powerful a vision there's an opportunity for growth. The Great Spirit has blessed Ren." Hao's smile was infectious, and Ivy couldn't help but match the expression as she looked back to the arena. "Maybe I'll recruit him someday."
"You hear that, Principessa?" Issebella said, leaning over the armrest between them and into Ivy's personal space. "You might get to be on the same side as Ren-chan, after all!"
Ren-chan as an ally, huh? Ivy had never considered such a thing before—even as children, he had seemed like a rival, someone that would also stand in the Shaman Fight as a representative of his family's ideals. Sure, if they were on the same side, she could probably corral him into battle for the sake of practicing their skills, but she wasn't sure that was what she'd truly want.
There's a difference between practice and fighting to show your dominance. And Ren-chan may be stubborn, but I don't think I could get what I wanted if we were allies— No, I shouldn't be thinking like that.
"If that's what Hao-dono wants, I have no room to argue," she said, though it was a struggle to keep her voice even. A strange sort of excitement was busy bubbling up inside her at the prospect of Ren's growth as an opponent. "Though I have a hard time imagining someone like Ren-chan tossing his pride aside and serving someone else's goals." His declaration of war against Yoh in the stadium below served as evidence enough of that idea.
Hao chuckled, as nonchalant as ever. "You may be right, Aviantei, but I'd be remiss not to at least attempt to gain an ally with such potential. There's no harm in trying!"
Ivy nodded. In the end, that choice would be Ren's, and her personal feelings wouldn't have anything to do with it.
Her desire to test her strength against someone of power.
Her discomfort at watching the Tao family show their blatant support for their heir.
Her ambition to take her vengeance on Ander.
If it's to help Hao-dono, I don't mind in the slightest. But, if I were to be completely honest…
"I hope that we get the chance to fight sometime soon, Ren," she said, the words in Chinese.
The fact that he couldn't hear her own declaration of war didn't matter in the slightest.
[Author's Notes]
Happy holidays, folks! How's another chapter doin' for ya?
Thanks this chapter go out to GinryuFox for the favorite and the follow! I hope you continue to enjoy the story!
After an aggressive amount of time, we've finally gotten ourselves into canon territory again with the Shaman Fight in full swing! I'm still sorting out all the details of what areas we touch on, but I'm looking forward to the additions I've got coming up in the future. Here's to a productive 2020 coming up!
With that in mind, next chapter will keep moving along in the canon timeline. Please look forward to it!
-Avi
[12.24.2019]